The Normal Boy

Chapter the Fourth

Neville waited for the double gates to open and the firs years to come in. He wasn't the only one eager.

"I'm starving." Ron moaned. 

Hermione glared at him. "Your sister is going to get sorted soon and your biggest problem is that you're starving?" 

"Well, if you say it like that then yeah." Ron said. Hermione hit Ron hard with a book. "Ow." 

Neville and Harry burst out laughing. "Laugh all you want," Ron said, "But when Hermione hits you, I'll be the one laughing."

"That makes no sense." Hermione said with a slight chuckle. Ron rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

When Neville stopped laughing(which was long before Harry) he thought about his first sorting.

Neville walked onto the stool trembling and the last thing he had seen was people gazing at him with awe. 

"Um, this is tricky." The sorting hat said. "You are kind and quiet smart, but I think you wouldn't do good in Ravenclaw, let's see you have ton of bravery and yet a thirst to prove yourself. Slytherin is right for you."

"No, not Slytherin." Neville begged the hat

"Not Slytherin? But you'd do good there?"

"They scare me and everyone ends up being evil there."

"Scare you? Oh boy, I know the house you are in, the perfect house."

"Is it Hufflepuff?" Neville asked the hat hopefully

"No boy," the hat said sharply. "GRiFFINDOR!" 

Neville shook his head and saw that the double gates had opened and first years came in. Neville grinned at Ginny and she grinned back before turning her head foreword. 

When the first years stopped, the looked at the hat on the stool. 

"Why is that there?" The voice of Maddy Chang could be heard throughout the room. Just then the sorting hat began speaking and Chang screamed. 

Oh don't fright, it's just me

It's just I, a hat that can talk

I will sort into houses of four

A house for the brave ones

Called Gryffindor!

A house for the cunning lot

Called Slytherin!

A house for the kind folk

Called Hufflepuff!

And a house for the smart-a...people

Called Ravenclaw!

These four houses make the school a whole

With all these houses we shall remain whole

Now put me on 

Your greasy head

And hope that I get a wash

For once

Because  I am the SORTING HAT!

Then the hat remained still. Everyone was silent for a moment and then the Weasley twins began singing the sorting hat's song again and again and everyone began clapping loudly and laughing cheerly, except the Ravenclaws who were frowning at the hat.

"Don't tell me we have to put that on." said Chang in a disgusted voice

"We do, didn't you hear the song? You deaf Chang." Ginny replied and most of the first years chuckled. 

"Oh please," Maddy said, "At least you're used to things that horrible. The only thin I can think of as horrible is your face."

Ginny tilted her head. "I think you mean your face." she said. A lamp nearby exploded and many people screamed.. 

"What did you do?" Maddy asked Ginny

"Nothing." Ginny replied honestly 

Just then the lights came back on and everyone was startled. 

"Abott, Elizabeth." Called Professor MaGonicall and a blonde plum girl came onto the stool. When the hat came on her, the sorting hat exclaimed, "Hufflepuff!"

"Ali, Margot."

"Slytherin!"

"Bandy, Antony."

"Slytherin!"

"Chang, Maddy."

Maddy came onto the hat swiftly and sat down elegantly.

"She must be a Slytherin." Demelza whispered to Ginny. Ginny didn't reply. Th sorting hat thought for and then said, "RAVENCLAW!" 

Demelza groaned and Colin held out his hands as if he had one a bet. He had and Demelza gave him a gallon. 

"Did you bet on her?" Ginny asked them just as a sandy haired boy was sorted into Hufflepuff 

"Creevy, Colin." 

Colin gulped and went up onto the stage. The hat came on him and the hat screamed. "GRYFFENDORE!" 

Colin whooped and sat on the Gryffindor table. 

A few more people were sorted and then,

"Lovegood, Luna."

Luna walked up the stage and sat on the stool, the hat went on her and covered her eyes.

"Interesting, what a creative mind, brave you are my dear and kind, oh you are very kind but you don't want to prove yourself, you're different and I know which house is the best choice for you. RAVENCLAW!"

"What!?" Luna exclaimed but she was already being taken to the Ravenclaw table.

Then after some time Demelza was called, the sorting hat didn't even stop to think, saying loudly, "GRYFFENDORE!" 

And then, the last one, 

"Weasley, Ginny." 

Ginny went up the stage, nearly tripping on her way up. When she reached, she sat down and the sorting hat began to think.

"Another Weasley, always a Weasley, but you're a girl, I haven't had a girl Weasley in seven generations."

"I know, I know, you don't have to say it to me." Ginny couldn't help reply. The sorting hat chuckled. "GRYFFENDORE!" It said loudly and Ginny did a bigger whoop than Colin, sitting down on the table. 

Just then the food appeared and Ron was soon eating his way through large piece of chicken. Ginny was sitting at the edge of the table, very far away from Harry but Harry wasn't deterred.

 Taking a glass of   pumpkin juice and getting on the table, he said loudly. "I have an announcement to make." 

Ginny, who was half was through her food looked up. "Oh boy." she said

"Ginevra Molly Weasley," Harry said, "You are the love of my pie, the apple of my so and I love you eye."

Hermione facepalmed and told him to sit down. Harry ignored her. "So Ginevra will you go out with me?" 

"No." Ginny said and continued on her food

"Detention Mr. Potter." Professor MaGonicall said, coming to Harry, "For a week."

Harry groaned and sat down.

When Professor MaGonicall was going, Neville could have sworn he heard her say, "The pain just keeps coming and coming and coming and coming."